1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for the acquisition and handling of generally planar sheets such as film and paper and, more particularly, to apparatus for assembling and disassembling generally planar samples and delivering such samples to a downstream testing device such as a spectrometer.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the development of new photographic film and paper products and processes and in the modification of existing photographic film and paper products and processes, it is necessary to test the film and paper products for silver content. This is typically done with a spectrometer such as a Phillips X' Unique-II Spectrometer as manufactured by Nederlandse Philips Bedrijven 6.V., of EA Almelo, the Netherlands. In conducting such tests with a spectrometer it is often necessary to prepare multiple samples and load them one at a time into the spectrometer. By way of example, in the use of the X'Unique-II.TM. Spectrometer sample disks are punched from 35 mm by 12 inch film or paper samples. This is a manually controlled operation. Each sample disk is then placed in a metallic sample cup which is typically specially designed for use with a particular spectrometer. A weighted ring is then often manually placed within the sample cup on top of the sample disk in order to keep the sample disk flat in the cup while the spectrometer test is in progress. These assembled sample cups are then loaded manually directly into the spectrometer, or are loaded into an automated loading adjunct to the spectrometer. Phillips Corporation does produce the PW-1510 which is a semi-automated sample loading device for use with their X' Unique-II Spectrometer. Such semi-automated sample loading device is connected to the spectrometer and the sample cup assemblies to be tested are manually loaded into plastic trays by an operator. Each tray may hold up to 6 cups as well as a bar-coded identification label for each cup. These cup trays are placed on the top surface of the sample loader which is sized to hold a total of 20 of such cup trays. Thus, the PW-1510 has the capability of handling up to 120 preassembled sample cups automatically. Positioning mechanisms built into the PW-1510 allow the trays to be circulated in a clockwise direction on the surface of the loader. A specially designed arm mechanism is located proximate to the interface between the loader and the spectrometer. This arm is capable of both vertical and rotary motion and is configured with a pair of rigid fingers on the underside of the arm. These fingers are sized to engage an annular lip extending from the periphery of the upper portion of each sample cup. By proper arm positioning in the vertical and rotational axis, these rigid fingers can be caused to capture a sample cup thereby allowing the arm to lift the cup. Once the cup is lifted in this way, rotation of the arm causes the cup to be positioned in the loading area of the spectrometer. After the sample has been read, the arm re-engages the cup and transfers it back to the tray on the surface of the loader. Thus, the PW-1510 has the ability to remove preassembled sample cups from a tray supported on the surface of the loader, deliver such sample cups to the spectrometer, remove the sample cups from the spectrometer and re-deliver them to the tray on the surface of the loader. Once the sample cups have been tested by the spectrometer and returned to the sample tray, the operator must manually disassemble each cup and discard the sample.
The preparation of samples for loading into a spectrometer has, heretofore, been a labor intensive operation. Further, the semi-automatic loading devices tend to require a great deal of floor space in order to accommodate a maximum number of sample cups. As a result, an apparatus is needed which could automatically prepare samples by punching sample disks from film or paper samples and automatically assemble the sample disk within the sample cups. Further, the apparatus needed must also have the capability of automatically delivering the prepared samples to the spectrometer for reading and, upon completion of reading of the sample by the spectrometer, automatically remove the sample cup from the spectrometer, disassemble the sample cup and dispose of the sample disk. Through the operation of being able to both automatically assemble samples and disassemble samples, the number of sample cups and, thus, the amount of space needed to accommodate the apparatus, can be greatly reduced in that the apparatus can continually load and unload samples using only (two) 2 sample cups.